I had long dreamed of having High Tea at a special place like New York Hudson Valley’s The Equus, so when Valentine’s Day had rolled around (this was a few years back) and I learned that my husband was bringing us there for afternoon tea, I was none-other-than ecstatic! The following is most likely what we had ordered… mind you it has been some time… a nice assortment of lovely teas and delicious little tea cakes, scones (served warm and frosted in powdered sugar with the choice of clotted cream & fruit preserves), and toasted curry chicken sandwiches. Sounds good doesn’t it? Every tea lover should try this once in their life… even if it’s simply planning a quaint little tea party at home and extending an invitation to a few good friends- this would be a darling thing to do, by the way, so don’t just write it off.

Our recent Cape May excursion allowed for another similar treat of afternoon tea at the Carriage House Cafe & Tea Room located on the grounds of the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate. I ordered egg salad with chives on swirled rye and shared the assorted scones & tea breads accompanied with clotted cream with my husband. My tea of choice was Harney & Sons’ Vervaine Lemon Verbena (I highly recommend). It was a perfect sunny, gently breezy day and I was so happy to be there; just the night before we took a trolley ride around the Emlen Physick Estate on the Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tours, which I also highly recommend!.. Think darkened magical streets and flickering gas lamps… let your imagination run wild ;)! As an aside, for our next Cape May visit, this sounds great too -> The Walking Ghost Tour.

P.S. Cucumber or watercress sandwiches with cream cheese are among my favorite tea-time helpings. Searching for great menu ideas? I recently found a wealth of info at Linda A. Thompson’s Blog.

*Photocredit: The Equus, New York and Carriage House Cafe & Tearoom, New Jersey

Within The Merry Widow, you will find this gem… the Cape May Olive Oil Company. I lost track of the many delicious olive oils we had sampled on toast; a few standouts… truffles, onion, garlic, citrus blends. Finally I decided on an Italian Herb and a packet of dried herbs to be mixed together as part of a savory appetizer. I don’t need house guests as an excuse to indulge you know ;). We warmed slices of hero bread a couple of nights in a row to accompany this fantastic duo. I really have to buy more once we are out! Also some lucky couple in our family is also going to receive a Tuscan Herb version as part of a holiday gift. I almost forgot to say… their Tarragon Honey Mustard has been highly delightful condiment on shrimp and I can’t wait to pair it with other foods! Feast your eyes below ;)!

While at Cape May, I also ventured into a cozy little spiritual store, named Good Scents, filled with many exciting new things I haven’t really seen anywhere else yet =). You can also find further info about the shop’s variety of incense here. In the back was a Leelah hoodie I instantly feel in love with! It was their Honey Love design (“Life is the Flower for which Love is the Honey”). Comfortable, soft, pretty, great for everyday (and for yoga!), and fits me very well. Later that week, I decided to explore the company’s site. All of a sudden, I remembered that one of my local boutiques also carries a few items from their clothing and accessories line (Leelah makes very distinctive-looking products). What I really love besides their clothing is their full-size spiral notebooks and mini books. It is perfect for the Filofax lover, like myself or someone who regularly gets lost in their imagination and enjoys doodling or journaling… all you have to do is re-punch the paper to fit your chosen organizer or slide a mini book into its planner pocket. As an aside, if you are a big fan of letter stationery, you can do the same. My daily organizer is an A5 so this works out perfectly =). Just wanted to share my thoughts especially with those who like customing/decorating their Filofax. I know how much joy that brings to me. I’ve featured a few of my favorites below and you can catch a “virtual” glimpse of Good Scents.

A Place on Earth in Cape May, New Jersey can easily be considered heaven on Earth. Nestled in the basement of what used to be the old Ocean Street bank is this wonderful little south Jersey secret. I had way too many soaps to justify more bath purchases but my Scentsy burner certainly needed a scented wax melt replenish. These are the drizzle and herbal bars by Swan Creek Candle Company I came away with that day… Snickerdoodle, Roasted Espresso, Crisp Cotton, and Walk in the Woods. I also loved the glittery appeal of Birthday Cake but had to draw the line somewhere ;); maybe after I use these up eh? Ohhh, there were so many good scents to choose from! Where do I begin, I thought? They also stock other popular brands like Pacifica, Tokyo Milk, etc. Plus they had a large buffet bar against the back wall with a colorful array of freshly-made sugar scrubs mmmmm! You don’t have to necessarily visit Cape May either to experience A Place on Earth (just click on the top link or to the left; each will take you to a different site)… love online shopping! =)